{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/holyvolt-raises-45-million-to-develop-ai-driven-battery-materials","json":"https://digestai.news/story/holyvolt-raises-45-million-to-develop-ai-driven-battery-materials.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/holyvolt-raises-45-million-to-develop-ai-driven-battery-materials.md","slug":"holyvolt-raises-45-million-to-develop-ai-driven-battery-materials","headline":"Holyvolt raises $45 million to develop AI-driven battery materials","summary":"Holyvolt, a Stockholm‑based startup that builds AI tools for discovering new battery chemistries, announced a $45 million equity round led by Zone II, CC.VC and several angel investors from the defense and finance sectors. The company told Fortune the financing values Holyvolt at $245 million, according to a person familiar with the deal.\n\nHolyvolt recently merged with San Diego’s Wildcat Discovery Technologies, a firm that has tested more than 500,000 cells and completed over 225 projects for customers such as BMW. Holyvolt says it has trained AI models on Wildcat’s high‑throughput data, creating a loop where lab tests sharpen predictions and the models guide the next experiments. The startup claims its lab operates about ten times faster than conventional R&D, based on a customer case study.\n\nThe first product from this loop is a cathode family called DRX (disordered rocksalt), which Prast describes as delivering “NMC‑like” performance at roughly the landed cost of LFP and with a fully friendly supply chain. Holyvolt plans to start commercializing DRX in 2027, beginning with unmanned aerial vehicles, just before a U.S. defense law bars Pentagon purchases from Chinese battery makers after Oct. 1 2027.","keyPoints":["Holyvolt secured $45 million in equity from Zone II, CC.VC and angel investors, valuing the startup at $245 million.","The company merged with Wildcat Discovery Technologies, using its high‑throughput testing data to train AI models for new cathodes.","Holyvolt aims to launch its DRX cathode material in 2027 for UAVs, ahead of a U.S. defense ban on Chinese battery suppliers."],"whyItMatters":"AI‑driven battery discovery could cut dependence on Chinese supply chains and speed up new chemistries for defense, automotive and data‑center markets.","category":{"slug":"business","name":"Business & Funding","url":"https://digestai.news/category/business"},"entities":{"companies":["Holyvolt","Zone II","CC.VC","Wildcat Discovery Technologies","Tesla","BMW"],"models":[],"people":["Steven Prast","Mathias Ingvarsson","Peter Schultz"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-18T05:40:01Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-18T05:40:01Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"fortune.com","title":"Holyvolt, which develops AI tools for making and testing new battery materials, raised $45M from Zone II, CC.VC, and others, a source says at a $245M valuation","url":"https://fortune.com/2026/10/15/holyvolt-funding-45-million-battery-startup-ai-sweden-michigan-prast-ingvarsson","publishedAt":"2026-10-18T05:40:01Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Holyvolt raises $45 million to develop AI-driven battery materials\", 18 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/holyvolt-raises-45-million-to-develop-ai-driven-battery-materials","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Holyvolt raises $45 million to develop AI-driven battery materials","datePublished":"2026-10-18T05:40:01Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/holyvolt-raises-45-million-to-develop-ai-driven-battery-materials"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}